Ducks Unlimited celebrates youth team shooting program milestone

DU TRAP provides funding for more than 7,000 youth shooters

Since its inception in early 2021, Ducks Unlimited’s Team Resource Assistance Program (DU TRAP) has assisted more than 7,000 youth shooters by providing immediate funding for team activities. Two hundred teams from 36 states have used the grant program.

DU TRAP supplies teams with discounted merchandise and professionally designed marketing materials for use in team fundraising efforts, with no up-front costs. The program allows groups to set their own pricing and length of sale while choosing from a variety of prizes to fit their program size. Once complete, net proceeds are retained by the participating team. Program design also includes the shipping of prizes to winners, if desired.

“DU TRAP worked fabulously for us,” said Brian Garrels, coach of the Emmetsburg Hot Shots of Iowa. “We sold out our 250 tickets in 48 hours. I wish we would have ordered more tickets.”

Funds from the DU TRAP program assist teams with expenses for ammunition, targets, travel, entry fees, team equipment and more. Teams average $3,675 net per event, helping Ducks Unlimited sustain youth shooting sports and facilitate hunter recruitment.

“We’ll look back and judge DU TRAP as one of the good things that came out of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said DU’s National Director of Event Fundraising and R3 Programs David Schuessler. “We realized the best way would be to help youth shooting was to help them raise money. This is a non-profit program for DU and we are proud to do it, given the impact it will have on the target shooting and hunting heritage in our country.”

To learn more about DU TRAP, how your team can sign up, and view the 2022-23 package, visit www.ducks.org/trap.

Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world‘s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 15 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org.